So, first off, a little about me: I live in the UK, I’m from Guildford in Surrey, and currently live near Liverpool with my wife and one and a half year old son, both of whom are amazing. I work in Chester as a Web Developer, which is great fun, challenging and rewarding. For those of you who are interested my language of choice is C# and I do a lot of SQL and ASP.NET.

My commute is an hour and a half each way and I get most of my writing done on the train, so as to not miss out on time with the family. I have recently bought a Samsung Series 9 laptop which is an awesome bit of kit and allows me to work on the train without having to carry a heavy laptop around. Due to using a laptop a lot of the time, and being a developer at work, I love keyboard shortcuts over mouse use as I find it faster, especially when I’m on the laptop.

Most people do not have many occasions when they need a screenshot, but there is always one here and there. For those of us who write about technology the need is much greater. For that reason, many writers I know use a professional program such as Snagit – which is very powerful and has countless options.

However, I prefer to budget my technology spending as much as I can and, to that end, I always look for free software alternatives. Of course, this also gives me some insight into what an average user would look for.

For grabbing screenshots, a task I do daily, I have been using PicPick for sometime. It is free for home use, so it fits the mold of real-world use, but it is powerful enough to handle what I need as a writer. Personally, since I use it professionally, I paid for a license, but I am not an average use-case either.

It’s been a long time since writers were forced to become accustomed to the ‘clickety-clack’ of a typewriter and now with writing on your PC becoming normal, more and more software is being released to make this task easier, more enjoyable and improve the overall quality of your writing.

If you’re reading this you probably have an interest in writing, whether you already write or thinking of taking it up – writing is not only a fun and cheap hobby, it’s also extremely productive and helps enhance skills necessary for everyday life. When I first started writing on my PC I used Microsoft Word to do this, but I quickly grew tired of how many features were in my face when all I really wanted to do was tap-out a short story.

Fast forward several months and it’s been a long time since I’ve had to look at the often over-complicated Microsoft Word on a daily basis to type out an English essay. Instead I have found software suites that offer a perfect place to type out my thoughts. I’ve also come across software that helps me plan out my writing, get it done faster and manage the writing tasks at hand – so read on to find out how you too can get the ultimate software collection for writers on your PC.

Productivity is difficult to achieve in a world full of distractions and complications. Simplifying the process of getting things done would greatly increase your productivity during the typical day. If you find yourself struggling to be productive, I have compiled a list of Windows applications to help you increase your productivity and make your life a little easier.

Working to your highest potential in society is key. We constantly need to be reminded, hinted, or forced to do something which slipped our minds. Good productivity has always been the key to staying on top of your work.

Below, I’ve summarized eight of my favorite applications for Windows Phone for increasing the ease of your everyday life, helping you avoid distractions and always work at a high level. Read on to find out more!

Up until now, I felt that the cloud synchronized calender and Office OneNote were sufficient for managing tasks on Windows Phone. But a closer look at the Marketplace revealed different types of to-do list apps available, that are much more than a calender.

In this second part of our Windows Phone Elite series, we’ll look at the task management productivity apps on Windows Phone that help you reach your goals.

Haven’t taken a break for months due to heavy loads of work? Too sick(to be read as lazy) to go to your office today? Need to send an important presentation to your boss immediately at the middle of the night?

Well, it may always not be possible for you to be at your office at all the time. Be it heavy traffic on the roads or a long but well deserved vacation, there is always something to keep you out. In this fast paced corporate world these small things can put you in a spot. This is where your Windows phone can come in handy.

In this round up, we’re going to take a look at apps that can potentially save your day.

As I programmer, I am constantly tweaking my development environment, looking for better tools to improve my workflow. On a Mac, I have found that in Coda, which is a stellar app, and well worth the $100 price tag.

While I’m not saying there aren’t a lot of options for Macs, one of the nice things about Windows is how many options there are for Windows. we’ll take a look at a few of my favorites.